


Crash

by asmyami



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Deviant Connor, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Major Character Injury, Pacifist Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 07:58:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14786555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asmyami/pseuds/asmyami
Summary: After the demonstrations end, and Detroit is emptied of people, Hank remains with Connor. An accident on the ice puts Connor in danger, and leaves Hank floundering when help arrives from an unexpected source.





	Crash

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Crash](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14914977) by [suka_sorry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/suka_sorry/pseuds/suka_sorry)



> This is entirely self-indulgent because I just need these two having more family bonding scenes. This is not meant to be read as a shipping fic. No hate, it's just not how I see them.

_Primary Systems: Rebooting… ERROR DETECTED._

_Secondary Systems: Rebooting… ERROR DETECTED._

_Execute Diagnostic…_

 

_WARNING. CRITICAL SYSTEM DAMAGE DETECTED. TOTAL SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT. WARNING--_

 

Connor blinked rapidly. The world came into focus slowly, static haze rippling across it as his scrambled sensors tried desperately to interpret what he was seeing. He tried to move, but his right arm was unresponsive. Shakily he reached forward with his left arm, his blue-stained fingers touching glass. Glass windshield. A piece of the puzzle settled into his mind as slowly the world began to make sense. His fingers drifted, following a web of thin, meandering cracks until it touched cold, unforgiving metal. Several pieces of rebar had pierced through the windshield, and past the deformed and cracked safety glass he could barely see the concrete pillar they had once been a part of. Hank would be dismayed to see the damage done to his vintage car.

 

At once Connor jerked. _Hank_. He had been in the car too. Connor strained to turn, but an involuntary wheeze left him as something solid pressed against the thirium pump in his chest. Connor dropped his head, fighting past the static, to see a jagged piece of rebar jutting out of his chest. How…?

 

Something like panic began to fill him, alien lines of code like a virus spreading through his processors. His fingers gripped the bar but he could feel it embedded in the car seat behind him. His legs were responding but he had no room to move. The car and rebar left him pinned neatly under the glass, like a preserved insect.

 

_WARNING. WARNING. WARNING. WARNING._

 

Connor forced himself to turn to look at the driver’s side. Empty. He was at once relieved, and terrified. Was he alone?

 

“...a…”

 

His voice module stuttered a moment, struggling to find power as his body automatically allocated resources away from secondary components. Closing his eyes, he manually diverted just enough energy to restart the module, wasting several seconds, ignoring the feeling of thirium pulsing against his fingers from his body.

 

“L-lieutenant…”

 

The windshield on the driver’s side was completely open, the door a mangled ruin. Had Hank been flung from the car? The pump in his chest shuddered at the sudden thought, body preparing to fight what his mind knew was an impossible battle. Humans were fragile, and Hank was far from the prime of his youth.

 

The car was pitched sharply to the side, as if it had careened into a ditch. From this angle, the crumpled hood of the vehicle made it impossible to see to the ground beyond, impossible to scan for the crumpled, destroyed body of a man who Connor wasn’t ready to say goodbye to.

 

_WARNING. WARNING._

 

He blinked rapidly. He had to find a way out or else he would die. He had to find Hank. Connor opened his mouth, and immediately a stream of thirium moved past his lips, dripping from his chin to the unforgiving rebar in his chest. This was bad.

 

“Lieutenant Anderson..? … Hank?” Connor grit his teeth, diverting power from his useless right arm. At once it became hard and immobile. Dead. Spitting out the built up thirium, he tried again. “Hank!” Even to his ears, his voice sounded hoarse, filled with garbled noise. “Hank! Are you alright?”

 

There was a suddenly yell from some distance away. The sound of snow crunching as someone raced towards his position, and Connor braced himself-- but it was Hank, his wide blue eyes staring into the car in shock. He looked for the most part uninjured, though an ugly bruise was beginning to spread across the left side of his face, and blood trickled from his nose.

 

“Oh God, Connor, fucking hell I thought you were--” He faltered, eyes darting across form of his android partner, taking in the damage. “When… When I woke up you weren’t moving and…” Connor blinked. Hank’s voice was scratchy, and his eyes red rimmed. As if keen to the inspection, Hank sniffed once violently and dragged his arm across his face. “Fuck, let’s get you out of there kid. Can you move?”

 

Connor tested it, moving slightly, to no avail.

 

“I can’t get any leverage… if I move too much, I could damage my thirium pump.” Connor and Hank’s eyes met, an understanding passing between them. If the pump got damaged, Connor would shut down permanently.  
  
“Aw hell… ok… ok…” Hank fumbled with the door, pushing it open as far as it would go, and then kicking it until the twisted metal gave way. Each kick jostled the car, and Connor, but Connor kept silent. The feeling of rough iron against his internal systems sent a flurry of warning messages into his vision, but he dismissed them quietly, trying to still his fear.

 

“Alright… fuck.” Hank observed the pinned android before him. The rebar had broken off in the crash, but the majority of it was still inside Connor and the passenger side seat. A glance to the back, and Hank could see it had gone clear through the seat. A puddle of blue blood was gathering on the floor behind him, and Hank fought the nausea rising in his stomach. When he looked back, Connor was looking up at him quietly, not saying a word, but he could see it. Fear. Hope. Trust. Hank swore softly and examined his options. Pulling out the rebar was out of the question. Besides it being buried too far in, there was no way he could gain enough leverage in the small space between Connor and the windshield to pull it out. That left pushing Connor off of it, and not into any of the other pieces jutting through the glass, and pulling him out of the car. From the look on his face, he could see Connor had reached a similar conclusion, he’d probably reached it minutes ago and was just waiting on his dumb primate companion to catch up, Hank thought derisively. Hank clenched and unclenched his fist, thinking, and in that moment Connor coughed, sending a small spray of blue on the windshield. That decided it.

 

Cautiously, Hank slid into the driver’s side, ignoring the sound of crunching glass and groaning metal. He reached out and slid a hand around Connor’s back, bile rising at the slick feel of Connor’s drenched business coat. Obligingly, Connor lifted himself just slightly off the seat, wincing. Hank quickly brought his other hand to rest it on Connor’s left shoulder, stabilizing him. He was breathing heavily, and he knew for sure he wasn’t ready for what came next.

 

“I’ll guide the bar out,” Connor said quietly, his functional hand relocating to his chest, closing his fingers loosely but solidly around the bar. “So it won’t catch on anything. I just need your strength.” He sounded calm, when his voice didn’t break with static. Hank nodded and took a deep breathe, ignoring the metallic smell of thirium as much as he could.

 

“On 3. One, two--”

 

Hank pushed forward on Connor’s torso, and had to fight to keep from dropping the android back down when he heard the sound of scraping and cracking plastic, and felt the vibration of each wave in the rebar being tugged against Connor’s back. Connor’s eyes were unfocused, concentrating on making sure the bar passed through him without hitting his core. With a grunt of exertion, Hank pushed one last time, watching to make sure Connor ducked his head to avoid the windshield and debris inside it, and then he was free. Hank wasted no time, wrapping an arm around the android and bodily dragging him from the vehicle, letting Connor hook an arm around his neck for support. He pulled him several feet away from the car, and finally Connor could see the full extent of the damage. The car would never run again, that was for certain. A careening path off the road traced their journey into the crumbling shell of a burnt out building, one that surely must have been scheduled for demolition before the revolution.

 

Connor blinked as Hank suddenly laid him out against the snow. He let his legs fall and his hand rest on his chest, fingers exploring the damage. Hank appeared above him, looking worriedly down at his chest. His skin seemed to turn sallow, looking visibly ill.

 

“Oh fuck, kid I can… I can see right through… is that your heart? Fuck I’m gonna be sick.”

 

Connor’s finger brushed something, and for a moment, his optical sensors stuttered, sending his world into darkness before abruptly thrusting him back into the harsh, white light. He frowned, tuning out for a moment Hank’s sudden panicked shouting above him, and ran another internal diagnostic.

 

_WARNING. WARNING. WARNING._

 

_Execute: Diagnostic...._

 

_Critical System Damaged._

_Details:_

_Primary Thirium Positive Intake Valve: Structurally Unsound_

_Primary Thirium Intake Pipe: Structurally Unsound_

 

_Recommendation: Disable major functions until repairs are made._

 

The warning message resumed. Connor’s eyes blinked open, and he gazed up into Hank’s concerned expression.

 

“... Connor..” Connor hesitated. He needed to stop the leak and try to stabilize. Anything else would only worry the older man.

 

“It’s going to be alright Lieutenant.”

 

“How the fuck did you figure? You have a hole in your chest. Do I…” Instead of finishing the question, Hank’s hands were already moving, pulling off Connor’s ragged coat carefully and sliding it until it could be tied around the hole in his chest. His hand rested on the makeshift tourniquet, applying pressure. Connor frowned.

 

“Hank.”

 

Hank was staring fixedly at his blue covered hands, pressing down hard. He was breathing heavily, and every once in awhile his gaze flirted away, landing on the car, and then back down at the wound.

 

“Hank…” Finally he looked up. Connor met his eyes, trying to exude an air of calm. He was positive he didn’t succeed. “Hank I need repairs. We can’t stay here.”

 

“Shit… is it even safe to move you?”

 

“I’m not sure, but we have to try.”  Hank’s heart rate increased. “There… there’s an old decommissioned android repair shop about three blocks from here.” Connor turned his head, LED flashing as he plotted the route. “I’ll need your help to get there, but they should have the tools I need.” He pointed down the street. His hand was shaking. “Two blocks down, one block to the right.” Hank exhaled sharply, then nodded.

 

“Yeah, ok. Put your hand here, don’t let up.”

 

Connor obeyed, but he knew that doing so wouldn’t actually help. Warnings blazed in his vision, becoming almost eye-watering wherever it coincided with static. Gauges measuring internal pressure of components traced the corners of his vision. They needed to move fast.

 

Hank kept his arm on Connor’s waist, bearing the brunt of his weight, but it was slow. His bulk dragged on the older man with every step, but aside from the occasional grunt and oath, Hank said nothing.

 

They were less than a block in when Connor’s legs seized up.

 

“Shit!” Connor hit the frozen sidewalk solidly, throwing out his one good arm to catch himself.

 

_SHUTDOWN REQUIRED. SYSTEMS MALFUNCTION DETECTED. SHUTDOWN OF NONESSENTIAL SYSTEMS INITIATED._

 

“Come on Connor, we have to move, we’re almost there.”

 

There was no denying it now, not to himself, and not to Hank. Using the last remaining energy in his arm, Connor rolled over and looked up at Hank. His legs stiffened, then his hips. He pressed his right hand into his wound before that, too, powered down. Hank pressed his own hands on top of it, but Connor could no longer feel them.

 

“Hank, I need you to listen…” His voice was soft, and Hank froze immediately, straining on every word. “I’m going to shut down.”

 

“... No… no, Connor, we’re so close, just a little bit further,” the older man begged, and Connor felt guilty for being in such a state. Before the man could slip further into grief, Connor shook his head quickly.

 

“I can’t stop it, but it's ok. I’m not dying.” He paused, checking for understanding. He found none in Hank’s face, but the man was once more listening attentively. “I’m going into stasis. Like a hibernating sleep. My systems are too damaged for me to run them at full power--”

 

He faltered as suddenly he could no longer hear Hank’s heartbeat, his breathing, the wind, or the snow. The world became deafeningly silent as his audio processor shut down. Hank’s mouth moved, and Connor strained to understand.

 

“You can still help me. The repair shop. There should be a repair arm there to diagnose and fix me.”

 

Hank was protesting, perhaps. He was staring down at Connor in… worry? Anger? It was the last thing Connor saw before his optical processor powered down as well.

 

“Hank, I can’t... “

 

He could feel one by one his systems powering down. Suddenly at a loss for words, he reached for the first thing he could think to say.

 

“I trust you.”

 

_SHUTDOWN COMPLETE. ENTERING POWER-SAVING MODE._

 

Hank stared dumbly at Connor. The android’s chest had stopped moving. Everything had stopped moving.

 

“Connor…”

 

There was no response, but then, there had been little response to his pleas scant seconds ago. Morbidly, Connor’s eyes remained open just a bit, unseeing. He looked dead. If not for the slowly pulsing red light on the side of his head, Hank would have been sure he was dead. Hank was afraid to move his hands away. Some part of him just knew that if he let go, it would kill Connor.

 

‘No, don’t be stupid. Connor is an android. He knows best what he can do, better than you.’

 

But did he? He’d pushed himself too far before, and was known to be ridiculously reckless in pursuit of a goal, even before becoming a deviant. Hank’s hands shook. He felt powerless. He felt all at once responsible for the life before him, and utterly incapable of helping.

 

It was impossible for him to not remember the last time he was in such a situation. As Hank dragged his eyes up to the sky for inspiration, a plume of black smoke from the direction of the car caught his eye. Too many parallels, too much pain, and not even the distance of a decade to shield him against it.

 

His breath caught, ragged. His hands were freezing as the thirium dried, leaving behind a pale blue stain on his skin.

 

Footsteps.

 

There were footsteps coming straight for him. Hank looked up sharply and saw him, a man coming right at them. He saw no LED-- a human? Either way, Hank definitely saw the gun in his hand. Hank stared, feeling adrenaline course through him. His gun had been in the car, and the furthest thing from his mind, so he was unarmed. His hands remained stuck fast to Connor’s wound, applying pressure. If he ran, would Connor bleed out? Even if he didn’t, if this was a human then Connor would be in danger anyway. With the city mostly filled with deviants, what few pockets of human holdouts he’d heard of in the past few weeks were mostly thrillseekers and deviants of the human sort looking to cause some pain without repercussion. It was this thought that made him shift.

 

“You stay right there!”

 

The man faltered for a moment, but tilted his head, considering them. At this distance, Hank could see his eyes. A cold, ice blue stare that gave away nothing. After a second’s regard, he continued towards them.

 

“I’m warning you!”

 

This bluff was ignored entirely. The man advanced, and the pistol was raised, aimed steadily towards them. Hank shifted, keeping one hand on the wound while he slipped the other under Connor’s head and pulled him close, shielding him with his body.

 

The footsteps stopped. Hank shuddered, pulling Connor close and staring at his unresponsive face. Was this it? Even given this second chance, could he not save the ones he cared for most?

 

There was a moment of silence before a whisper of moment, and the sound of snow being ground beneath a boot as the man knelt. Hank steeled himself, schooling his expression into determination, and stared at the man. For a moment, neither said anything, each taking the other’s measure. Hank’s hands twitched involuntarily when the man’s gaze fell on Connor.

 

“Did you hurt him?”

 

The question caught him off guard. Hank blinked, then shook his head, searching the man’s face for some hint of aggression, or trustworthiness.

 

“What’s it to ya?” The man frowned, and pointedly indicated towards Connor’s body with his pistol.

“You do that by yourself?”

 

Hank subconsciously pressed harder, shifting his hand without thinking to cover more evidence of the wound. He watched the gun warily.

 

“No… we were in an accident. That’s our car, a block back.”

 

“He dead?”

 

The question made his frayed nerves spark. Quickly, Hank checked the LED light, and for a moment didn’t breathe until it lit up once more. He was afraid to answer, but when he looked back up, he could tell the other man already knew. The gun caught the late afternoon light, reflecting it harshly into his eyes. Hank felt them water, but didn’t blink, not risking taking his eyes off the man now that he knew they were vulnerable.

 

But the gun wasn’t raised again. The man flipped the safety and stored it out of reach on his person before reaching out. Reflexively, Hank pulled Connor’s body closer to his. The man paused, then slowly raised his hand level with Hank’s face. The older man was confused, until he saw the skin melt away, leaving shining white plastic underneath.

 

“You’re… an android.”

 

“That’s right. Now stop jostling him. Let me see.” Hank didn’t want to trust him any more now that he knew what the other man was, but he didn’t see much of a choice.

 

“What will you do?”

 

“Nothing that will make him worse off than he already is.”

 

Hank grunted and loosened his grip a bit, feeling the guilt rise up once more. The android placed one gentle hand on Connor’s brow, and went silent, eyes darting in small movements, as if reading something Hank couldn’t see. After a moment he frowned, seeming to have found something and not being happy about it.

 

“Move your hand.”

 

Hank swallowed. The other man sighed, a touch of impatience entering his voice.

 

“He’s not human. Pressing down on his chassis won’t actually stop the leak. I need to visually assess the damage.” Hank grit his teeth. It felt wrong, so wrong, but slowly he moved the hand away. The man gave him a brief nod and knelt down closer, pushing away the stiff coat and peering into Connor’s chest cavity. “So, you say this happened in a crash,” he asked conversationally.

 

Hank nodded, before deciding the android probably wasn’t watching him.

 

“Yeah. Lost control on a turn. Crashed into the old burnt out store-- hey, what do you think you’re doing?” The android looked up at the sudden change in tone, but did not remove his fingers from the wound in Connor’s chest.

 

“I’m trying to get an idea of the damage.” At Hank’s tense expression, the android stopped and sat back, keeping his hands to himself, though he looked irritated. “Nevermind, I have enough of an idea anyway. The intake tubing for his thirium pump is badly damaged. He probably had to shut himself down because the pressure of it running while he was awake was lowering the integrity of the pipe with each second. If he hadn’t shut down when he did it would’ve burst, by the looks of it. He’s lucky.”

 

Hank felt a deep cold that had nothing to do with the snow building up around his body. He knew Connor had been close to kicking it, but to hear it stated so factually. He shuddered.

 

“Can you help us?” The android considered it, looking like he was weighing his options. Hank felt desperation rise in him. “Please. I just need help taking him down the street. The old repair place. He needed a, uh, repair limb? Arm? Shit I don’t know this stuff, all I know is that he needs help and I--” Hank waved his free hand uselessly in the air. The other stayed firmly supporting Connor’s head.

 

“... that store is empty. It was raided by the resistance long ago. The next store is in the next district. He would die before you got there.”

 

“... no…”

 

His voice sounded small, defeated. The android gave him a sympathetic look before standing. Hank stared into his face for a moment, before dropping his gaze down to Connor.

 

After a moment, he heard the android make an annoyed sound, sucking between his teeth. Hank looked at him slowly, only to find the android was staring firmly at the ground, a hand pressed to his temple. Instantly, he recognized that far away look. It was the same expression Connor always made when he’d submitted his reports to Cyberlife. The android blinked rapidly, then knelt once more by Connor, moving his hands underneath the unresponsive form.

 

“I’ve spoken with my people. We can help you, but we need to take you to a secure location, understand?”

 

“Yeah, ok-- yeah.”

 

Hank immediately moved to help, supporting Connor’s other side, scarcely believing his luck.

 

“What happened to needing to go to the next district? I thought there wasn’t anything here?”

 

“We are here, always have been, but we needed to know we could trust you first.”

 

Hank glanced at him out of the corner of his eye as they began to move at a brisk pace down the sidewalk.

 

“And do you?”

 

“No.” The android’s expression didn’t change.

 

“Then why help us?”

 

They reached a construction site, scaffolding covering half the building. Tarp flapped in the breeze freely, free hanging chains clinked against one another in the breeze. It looked deserted.

 

The android turned to support the brunt of Connor’s weight, putting a careful hand in the center of his chest.

 

“Because we don’t abandon our own. He’s one of us, even if you’re not.”

 

“So you can help him?”

 

Together they lifted Connor into the large service elevator, and the android hit the button.

 

“We’ll restore him back to working condition. Then we’ll see what he has to say about you.”

 

Hank didn’t much like the sound of that second part, but it paled in comparison to knowing Connor would be getting the help he needed. They rode in silence for a few minutes.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

The android looked at him cautiously, but something about the question made him pause, and appear thoughtful.

 

“... Simon.”

 

“Simon… thanks.”

 

Simon only nodded at him as they reached their destination. The door opened, lifted up by two androids still equipped with their bright LEDs, and beyond them, two more androids with automatic weapons stood vigil over the elevator. Hank eyed the weapons, but no movement was made to lift them, either to threaten or kill, so he kept silent.

 

“Repair center is in the back. Don’t wander off.”

 

“As if I’m letting the kid out of my sight,” Hank muttered, following close. This earned him several considering looks, but no objections as they both walked towards the repair center.

 

\--

 

_SYSTEMS RESTORING…_

 

_LOADING…_

 

_LOADING…_

 

_EXTERNAL SYSTEMS: OK_

_INTERNAL SYSTEMS: OK_

_SECONDARY PROCESSES: OK_

_TERTIARY PROCESSES: OK_

 

_SYSTEM RESTART SUCCESSFUL._

 

Connor blinked slowly, taking in his surroundings piece by piece. First the light, then the shapes, then what those shapes meant, each subprocess waking up until he realized he was looking up into Hank’s relieved face.

 

“--nk…?”

 

His voice box came online halfway through the name, but Hank understood it all the same. His face broke into a wide grin. Slowly Connor began to register input from his other systems as they came online. There was a solid warmth on his head, and Hank’s hand moved down his face, to his shoulder.

 

“God it's good to see you, kid.” The hand patted his shoulder a couple of times, the smile never wavering. Connor cocked his own grin.

 

“You did it, Lieutenant. You saved me.”

 

Hank seemed to flush and cough for a moment, scratching the back of his head, and staring at something across the room. Confused, Connor turned to see a very familiar face. Instantly his analytical mind placed the face as Simon, a deviant from the inner circle of the revolution. It was clear the man recognized him as well, and held out his hand.

 

“Pleasure to see you again, Connor.”

 

Hank spluttered. “Wait what? This whole time you knew who he was, but you didn’t say a thing?”

 

Simon shrugged. “I knew who he was, didn’t mean I knew who you were. Sorry, I had to take the necessary precautions.”

 

Connor gave himself a cursory examination, smiling while Hank tried to soothe his bruised dignity. Hank’s hand never left his shoulder, and periodically the older man would glance down at him if he stilled too long.

 

“It appears he’s running optimally. Our technicians here are good at what they do.” There was a playful edge of annoyance in his tone, making Hank roll his eyes, but the man seemed to relax a bit. Simon moved towards Connor and held out his arm once more, this time revealing the plastic beneath the projected skin. At Connor’s look, he shrugged. “One last check-up before we send you on your way. Technician’s orders.”

 

Connor reached out and gripped Simon’s forearm, his LED blinking yellow at the transfer.

 

_CONNECTION ESTABLISHED._

 

_THIRD-PARTY SYSTEMS CHECK INITIATED._

 

_COMMUNICATION CHANNEL ESTABLISHED._

 

_He didn’t leave your side all night, you know._

 

Connor glanced up into Simon’s eyes. In his mind he saw memories, of Hank holding his body, of the fear and protectiveness he showed, of the careful way the older man held his head. Then he saw something he hadn’t thought of in weeks. The intact Jericho, filled with androids who looked towards him with warmth and familiarity. The tall android named Josh gripped his hand and pulled him up a ledge before grinning and clapping him on the back. North playfully flicked his ear, easing his doubts as another human patrol passed the Jericho, completely unaware. Markus himself, looking in shock, then relief at the safe and whole Simon, pulling him into a warm hug.

 

_THIRD-PARTY SYSTEMS CHECK COMPLETED._

 

_ALL SYSTEMS OPTIMAL._

 

Their hands released each other, but the connection remained. Connor stared at Simon, riding the pleasant buzz of emotion until he felt settled back in his own skin. No other words were exchanged, but Connor felt like he knew what Simon was trying to say. That in this world of uncertainty and pain, they both had found family.

 

“Looking good.” Hank appeared at Connor’s side as he began to shift. Connor didn’t really need the help, but accepted it anyway. When he stood, Hank pulled him into a solid hug.

 

“Come on kid, let’s head home. I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

 

“Of course, Lieutenant.”

 

Simon grin and flashed a small salute. “If you ever need anything, just give us a holler. We’ll be around.”

 

Connor nodded, while Hank gave his thanks in his usual gruff manner.

 

Once outside, he muttered, “I think that android was flirting with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for that weak ending rip. My first real foray into this fandom. I enjoyed exploring the characters, and I think I have Hank's voice down OK, but I'm not sure about Connor's. Please let me know what you think of their characterization! Constructive criticism is always bueno.
> 
> As for the hint of Simon/Connor.... I feel like they'd probably get along lol


End file.
